Maw 16 1963

Stephen Greene made this lithograph, Maw 16, on a sheet of paper. Look at how the blacks and grays kinda wrestle with the white of the paper. It’s like he's not just depicting something, but he’s also showing us how the image comes into being. The cool thing here is how Greene uses the texture of the lithographic stone, that granular surface, to create these soft, blurred edges. Notice the big, dark shape in the lower right, it’s like a void, but the way it bleeds into the lighter areas makes it feel less scary and more like a portal. It reminds me of Gorky's biomorphic forms, where shapes seem to morph and change right before your eyes. Ultimately, this print isn't about easy answers, it's about the joy of looking and discovering new possibilities.